Books, Favorites of 2006

Books, Favorites of 2006

I read 95 books this year.

Yes, I did read all 95 books and I know that is a lot. Obviously, I love to read and have since I was about 8 or 9 years old. I was fortunate enough to have a parent who encouraged me to read and also never denied money to me whenever I brought home those Scholastic flyers from school.

You might think that I have a lot of free time on my hands to read all these books. Now I do devote time to reading, but I must admit that that I also read just about anytime I can. I can usually be found reading on my breaks at work and during my lunch time. I also read every night before I go to bed. Sometimes, I read before going to work. I also get 6 or 7 magazines a month as well… maybe 8… not sure.

With all those things in mind, I probably read more than you do-- even more than most people do in a few years and sadly, more than some read in a decade. That is not meant to belittle anyone. I like to read whereas others like to use there leisure time for other activities. We all have our vices and this one is among my favorites.

This year, one book dominated my life. Haruki Murakami’s “Kafka on the Shore” quietly slipped into my hands via three or four top ten lists from the previous year. Released in Japan in 2003 and published in English in 2005 this novel made me forget most of my favorite authors and novels that I have ever read. The story is two tales intertwined into some of the most concise and effortless writing I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Murakami does not over write- that is; he is compact in style and says what he needs to say without being bloated. He does not under-write either. His descriptions are honest without pretension and erotic without being profane.

I’ve read reviews that speak of the fantasy of the fiction blending with the reality of the reader. I wholeheartedly agree. It is like reading a dream that you find yourself an observer in the story only to wake up and realize that you are reading a story that is a dream to read.

I’ve read three other works by Mr. Murakami and my only complaint is that I am sad- sad that I’ve finished. He has other novels and short story collections out there for me to read, but; I must say that I’ve become a book snob in the past few years and only want to purchase hardcover titles and his are not cheap to come by now that his fame as writer has grown over the years. I’ll get them eventually, but until that time comes when I get a new (old) Murakami title, I will have memories of a wonderful experience that comes with each time I re-read this masterpiece.

I have three vices in my life and at the end of each year; I put out a best of list. In music and film, it is easy because they are easier to segregate into a time period for that year only. Books are different. New ones come out every week but older titles are numerous- nearly infinite in comparison to the other two. Because of that, I will put forth two lists here:

A best of 2006

And

A list of titles I liked the most this year that were from previous years.

Without further ado:

My top ten (in order) from 2006 were:

1. The Last Town on Earth - Thomas Mullen
2. Ghost Sea - Ferenc Mate
3. Mortimer of the Maghreb - Henry Shukman
4. Everyman - Phillip Roth
5. Lisey's Story - Stephen King
6. My Life in France - Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme
7. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist
8. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks
9. Germ - Robert Liparulo
10. The Omnivore’s Dilemma - Michael Pollan

Favorites from previous years (in order):

1. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
2. The Town That Forgot How to Breathe - Kenneth J. Harvey
3. Sun Storm - Åsa Larsson
4. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
5. A Year in Provence - Peter Mayle
6. Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell
7. The Swarm - Frank Schatzing
8. The River of Doubt - Candice Millard
9. Jarhead - Anthony Swofford
10. Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs

Yes, I am aware that I have some non-fiction mixed in with fiction titles.

Below is a complete list of what I read in 2006 and when I finished each title (nerdy, I know). The books have varied in length… some less than 50 and others almost 900 pages.

There are lots of good books on the list.

Happy Reading!

1. Divine Proportion: PHI In Art, Nature, and Science Priya Hemenway 1/01/06
2. Tree: A New Vision of the American Forest James Balog 01/02/06
3. The Darwin Conspiracy John Darnton 01/05/06
4. McDowell County William R. Archer 01/05/06
5. Mercer County William R. Archer 01/06/06
6. Salem's Lot (Illustrated Edition) Stephen King 01/07/06
7. Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx 01/08/06
8. The Tent Margaret Atwood 01/09/06
9. The Last Cato Matilde Asensi 01/12/06
10. The Complete Peanuts: 1957 to 1958 Charles M. Schulz 01/14/06
11. Wild Ducks Flying Backwards Tom Robbins 01/16/06
12. The Lost Painting Jonathan Harr 01/20/06
13. Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro 01/24/06
14. Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami 02/01/06
15. Cell Stephen King 02/03/06
16. The Last Templar Raymond Khoury 02/07/06
17. The Rubaiyat Omar Khayyam 02/09/06
18. Dry Augusten Burroughs 02/11/06
19. Running With Scissors Augusten Burroughs 02/13/06
20. We'll Always Have Paris John Baxter 02/21/06
21. Magical Thinking Augusten Burroughs 03/02/06
22. The United States of Appalachia Jeff Biggers 03/10/06
23. The Dead Beat Marilyn Johnson 03/14/06
24. Freakonomics Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner 03/15/06
25. Possible Side Effects Augusten Burroughs 03/19/06
26. The Girl Next Door Jack Ketchum 03/20/06
27. The Templar Legacy Steve Berry 03/26/06
28. A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict John Baxter 03/29/06
29. Surrender Toni Bentley 04/04/06
30. The City of Falling Angels John Berendt 04/06/06
31. My Life in France Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme 04/08/06
32. Blink Malcolm Gladwell 04/12/06
33. Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesha Amy Novesky 04/13/06
34. Coma Alex Garland 04/13/06
35. I Am Not Myself These Days Josh Kilmer-Purcell 04/15/06
36. Blood Mark Ryden 04/19/06
37. Jarhead Anthony Swofford 04/26/06
38. Instructoart Matthew Vescovo 05/02/06
39. A Year in Provence Peter Mayle 05/02/06
40. In the Merde for Love Stephen Clarke 05/07/06
41. After the Quake Haruki Murakami 05/09/06
42. Sputnik Sweetheart Haruki Murakami 05/12/06
43. Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Lincoln's Killer James L. Swanson 05/17/06
44. Everyman Philip Roth 05/19/06
45. The Alphabet of Manliness Maddox 05/22/06
46. The Cross and The Crescent Richard Fletcher 05/22/06
47. The Brief History of the Dead Kevin Brockmeier 05/25/06
48. A Dirty Job Christopher Moore 06/05/06
49. The Husband Dean Koontz 06/08/06
50. The Sweet Life: Reflections on Home and Garden Laura Stoddart 06/11/06
51. Black Order James Rollins 06/12/06
52. Built to Win John Schuerholz with Larry Guest 06/15/06
53. Brandenburg Gate Henry Porter 06/24/06
54. The Nasty Bits Anthony Bourdain 06/26/06
55. The Serial Killers Club Jeff Povey 07/02/06
56. Memoirs of Old Princeton Harrison W. Straley, II 07/05/06
57. The Swarm Frank Schatzing 07/07/06
58. Mortimer of the Maghreb Henry Shukman 07/13/06
59. Ghost Sea Ferenc Mate 07/18/06
60. The River of Doubt Candice Millard 07/23/06
61. The Ruins Scott Smith 07/26/06
62. The Zahir Paulo Coelho 07/31/06
63. The Devil and Miss Prym Paulo Coelho 08/02/06
64. Down and Out in Paris and London George Orwell 08/06/06
65. The Alchemist Paulo Coelho 08/08/06
66. The Omnivore's Dilemma Michael Pollan 08/21/06
67. Letting Go of the Person You Used To Be Lama Surya Das 08/24/06
68. City of Shadows Ariana Franklin 08/27/06
69. Echo Park Michael Connelly 08/28/06
70. Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death Lisa Takeuchi 08/31/06
71. Water For Elephants Sara Gruen 09/03/06
72. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman Haruki Murakami 09/09/06
73. The Black Sun James Twining 09/13/06
74. This I Believe Jay Allison and Dan Gediman (Editors) 09/15/06
75. Johnny U Tom Callahan 09/17/06
76. Sign of the Cross Chris Kuzneski 09/19/06
77. Officer Down Theresa Schwegel 09/22/06
78. Friends to the End (The True Value of Friendship) Bradley Trevor Greive 09/22/06
79. Holy Blood, Holy Grail M. Baigent, R. Leigh & H. Lincoln 10/04/06
80. Map of Bones James Rollins 10/09/06
81. The Last Town on Earth Thomas Mullen 10/13/06
82. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters Gordon Dahlquist 10/23/06
83. Lisey's Story Stephen King 11/05/06
84. The Innocent Man John Grisham 11/07/06
85. The Fifth Vial Michael Palmer 11/10/06
86. The Echo Maker Richard Powers 11/19/06
87. Granta 95: Loved Ones Ian Jack (Editor) 11/23/06
88. The God Delusion Richard Dawkins 12/06/06
89. Next Michael Crichton 12/08/06
90. Sun Storm Åsa Larsson 12/14/06
91. Letter to a Christian Nation Sam Harris 12/15/06
92. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks 12/17/06
93. Brother Odd Dean Koontz 12/23/06
94. 100 Bullshit Jobs… And How To Get Them Stanley Bing 12/26/06
95. Germ Robert Liparulo 12/30/06

Music, Best of 2006

Here is my list of favorite releases from this past year (in order):

1) The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
2) Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 - Olé! Tarantula
3) Bob Dylan - Modern Times
4) Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
5) The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun
6) Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
7) Goldfrapp - Supernature
8) Home Video - No Certain Night or Morning
9) Paul Weller - Catch-Flame! (Live at The Alexandra Palace)
10) Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
11) Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
12) Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
13) Artic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
14) Raconteurs - Broken Toy Soldiers
15) Neil Young - Living With War


The Crane Wife came out of nowhere & flew into my cd player, my computer… my mind- residing there like thickening concrete. I am unable to get their songs out of my head. The Island…, with its 70’s prog riffs & nautical tone is the class of the album. Five tracks later, Shankill Butchers lays you bare as a sort of goodnight story gone horribly wrong. Then you’ve got their indie fans crying foul as they jumped to a major label only to be rewarded with their most acclaimed album to date. Buy this album today as The Decemberists are for real!

Olé! Tarantula was not an album I ever wanted to purchase. I’ve had this hatred- yes hatred, for Robyn Hitchcock since I first heard him shriek “So You Think You’re in Love” many years ago. Hated that whiny song and figured his music past, present and future must be just like that. Therefore, I never understood why so many people liked him or his early claim to fame as the principle force in The Soft Boys. Yeah, I’ve likely missed out on some good music. This year, Olé! Tarantula kept popping up online,in magazine articles and by word of mouth. I finally got to hear a bit of it and promptly purchased it at Tower Records when they were liquidating all their stock (RIP). There is not a song on this album I do not like. Brilliant!


Other worthy releases this year:

U.N.K.L.E. - Self Defence (Never, Never, Land - Reconstructed and Bonus Beats - 4 Disc Set)
Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
Tool - 10,000 Days
Andy Partridge - Fuzzy Warbles #7, 8
Pinback - Nautical Antiques (A Selection of Rarities from 1998 - 2001)
Revolver Reloaded (From Mojo Magazine)
Q Covered: The Eighties (From Q Magazine)
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning
Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
The Beatles - LOVE <----------------- Really, REALLY GOOD!


Guilty Pleasure of the year:

The Rudy Van Gelder reissues for Blue Note Records. Not sure how many are in this series (he’s also re-mastered RVG Editions for Prestige), but every one I’ve gotten this year is fantastic!

These three are especially outstanding:

Joe Henderson - Page One
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Bud Powell - Time Waits


Disappointment of the year:

The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
Beck - The Information
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

I had such high hopes for these four albums and all four failed to keep my attention for very long. I was most hopeful for the new Beck album, but it seems he is floundering in genre-hell and has no idea what to do with his work much less the packaging and presentation of his cd… and speaking of packaging--

what was with the shite packaging on Tool’s - 10,000 Days (What the hell were they thinking?)

Debut of the year:

Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

With the exception of a horrible cover of Gone Daddy Gone by the Violent Femme’s, this album rocks!


Reissue of note that I enjoyed:

The Cure - The Head on the Door (Deluxe Edition)

In the top 5 of their best records and the gateway album at the beginning of their world-wide introduction/mid to late 80’s domination. The live tracks on the second disc are inspiring and very chilling if you’ve ever had the chance to see The Cure live.


Label of note:

Yep Roc Records

Some of my favorite albums from the past 2 or 3 years are on Yep Roc.


Trend I wish would go away:

Bemoaning the faltering status of the music industry by the very industry that is destroying itself.

If those jackasses would just drop prices for cd’s, a lot of those problems would start to fade away. People like to shop in music stores. Tower Records was always packed when I went in to browse and shop & my local indie store is always busy with customers. Yes downloading is here to stay and yes it has hurt business but people will gladly pay $8.99 to 11.99 for a new disc. Those are fair prices to pay and I do it all the time.

Dropping prices won’t fix all the problems the major labels have and there are numerous other talking points/tangents to discuss on this matter, but it would be a start.


Hope you enjoyed my list.

Feedback is hoped for and encouraged.

Movies, Best of 2006

2006 was an interesting year for movies, but in many ways for me a disappointment. A lot of quality movies were released if you sifted through the ashes of the films that crashed & burned this year- yet nary a one has stood out as my “IT” film. So, here are my favorite films this year ranked 2 through 10:

2) Little Miss Sunshine
3) Babel
4) Thank You for Smoking
5) The Science of Sleep
6) V for Vendetta
7) The Departed
8) Volver
9) Wordplay
10) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan


Little Miss Sunshine has just about everything you can want in a good film.

Good story? Check!
Good cast? Check!
Funny? Check!
Cranky old guy? Check!
Funny, cranky old guy? Check!
New cultural icon in Steve Carrell? Check!

Honorable Mention #1:

is for The Queen. Helen Mirren is wonderful in her role as Queen Elizabeth II. Understated and powerful in this role, she is likely to win an Oscar for her performance. Oh, the film is very good as well.

Honorable Mention #2:

is for United 93. Such a brave film. After five years, I still don’t want to think about those events but it will likely be the defining historical moment of my life so it is very hard to steer clear.

Fun Popcorn movie of the Year:

Casino Royale. Bond is back and better than ever. Give Daniel Craig one more crack at James Bond (I read he has already signed on for two more) and he will be the best 007 since Sean Connery. Check out his previous work Road to Perdition, Layer Cake & Enduring Love… he is a damn good actor and it is a pity that America has missed most of it.

Breakout performance #1:

Tommy Lee Jones for “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”… as a director. A fine, rough edged movie.

Breakout performance #2:

Penélope Cruz. She is excellent in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Volver”.

There are other movies that had the potential to make my top list this year, but I either missed them (For Your Consideration, Stranger Than Fiction, Prairie Home Companion, Fur : An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, The Notorious Bettie Page) or they have not been released where I live yet (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Good German, Letter From Iwo Jima, Venus, The Painted Veil, American Hardcore, Notes on a Scandal, Inland Empire, Children of Men) and the previews/waiting is driving me crazy!


I saw 41 films this year. Here are a few others that I liked:

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
United 93
An Inconvenient Truth
The Devil Wears Prada
The Last King of Scotland
Flags of Our Fathers
Casino Royale
The Fountain
Blood Diamond
The Good Shepherd
The Queen

I voted today

It felt good to be up early and make it to the polls before they opened. I had hoped to be among of the first ones there, but that was not the case as I was behind 50 to 60 people at five of six this morning. It went smoothly and forty minutes later I was on my way to work.

The right to vote is something I am proud to have. Some places in the world that right is restricted or non-existent.

Yet, with the climate of fear that has overwhelmed the country in the past few years; the outright voter fraud in Ohio, Florida & other places, I seriously wonder whether my vote matters.

You are told that every vote counts and it is your constitutional right to vote your elected leaders in and out of office. You wonder if your vote holds any weight when you hear of the special interest groups and lobbyists in Washington D.C. gaining more power by the year.

You see a scandal arise with a politician and a new one comes to take their place. Meet the new boss- same as the old boss is often what you get.

We live in a democracy. We are told that from the time we start school and it is pounded in our head every time there is an election at any level. Sometimes, I do not feel like all these freedoms we are told we have are really there. They are there conceptually and we enjoy the ease of movement because of them, but it seems as though the range of movement gets smaller and smaller with time.

I used to feel more patriotic as a teenager and that was mostly due to not knowing enough nor understanding the rather smallish bit that I did know. My early twenties came and apathy set in as I was too busy living my life. When I hit 27 or 28, I finally started to see the larger picture and realized that I did not even begin to dominate the frame anymore. Of course when 09/11 hit, everyone became instant patriots, defenders of freedom and ass-kickers (in mind only unless you were like Pat Tillman and signed up).

The aftermath that resulted from the devastation at Ground Zero was much larger than the monstrous hole in the ground you saw on television for weeks at a time. Our elected leaders seized upon our patriotism & fear to pass unconscionable legislation like the Patriot Act. Others wanted to “Get Their War On” by starting a pre-planned invasion of a country that had nothing to do with the hijackings. Can you smell war profiteering? You certainly can now.

Five years later we can judge ourselves to be no safer than we were when the attack happened.

Our so called democracy has taken hit after hit from our current leaders.

We lose credibility everyday in the eyes of the citizens of the world.

Our freedoms are eroding due to profit, power & greed.

We are more apathetic and hopeless…

Yet, I voted today because

I STILL BELIEVE THAT ONE VOTE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

I still have hope.

Why are we afraid to live life?

A friend posed this question to me as challenge.

It came about because of a senseless murder that happened recently in her town. She wonders how much the media influences us as adults and has the opportunity to change our children through exposure to music, video games, television/movies, books etc. She wondered if this person had any help from excess exposure to it.


To be motivated by fear to change a behavior is not how I want to live my life, yet I find that very same media delivering that message every day. Watch your local news. Read your local and regional newspapers. Check out the main news sites online.

Most of the stories you come across front and center are negative stories. When I mean negative, I mean that the stories are not nice. A shooting/murder somewhere. A car accident kills a pedestrian. Your candidate/representative/senator said ______ about his opposition. We are bombarded with mayhem and bad story lines every day, all day long. The newscrawl on the monitors we watch at the gym, in the office and nearly everywhere else you look has the same tone.

When I watch television, I watch to escape from reality (AND I DON’T WATCH REALITY TV). The real world is difficult enough for the majority of the population. Television/movies, video games, books & music offer a respite from the imagined and realized hell’s of the world. The most important part of this is choice. I choose when and how I want to escape.

Are these escapist outlets responsible for the world’s problems? No.

Do they contribute/alter the reality of people’s lives and make them do evil things? No, but an infinitesimal number are affected.

Have people done pure evil because of this access to information & entertainment? You betcha!

Should we limit the intake of this for children? As a parent, it is your responsibility to raise your children the best way you can- to make them as well rounded as possible while giving them all the opportunities you did not have growing up. Should your 6 year old be fragging bad guys in HALO or any other shoot ‘em up game out there? If I have to answer that one for you, please drop your children off at your parent’s house and take a trip to the doctor’s office… you need some help! Common sense should prevail when asking these questions and sadly, people often do not take the time to use it.

This murder that happened, made my friend want to get tougher and in better shape. Good for her I say, yet you are doing it for the wrong reason. Senseless violence can happen anyplace and at anytime with socio-economic boundaries thrown right out the window. Being in better shape is just that. It will make your body feel better and your mind. You will hopefully be around longer for your family and friends, but it is not a solution to your fear issue. Fear of getting older also plays a part for people being afraid and that drives them to get in shape much more than random acts of insanity.

These unstable crazies have been around since the dawn of man and will be here until the end of time as we know it. I believe something happens in our genetic milkshake makeup that makes us this way. There are also environmental triggers as well that enhances and brings out these mutations (but what do I know, I am certainly not a doctor and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night). I have no idea what to do with this segment of our population. I don’t know if rehabilitation works or if locking them up is a better solution. Killing them without a crime committed is not my idea of justice, but when death and devastation occurs, our current flawed system has to try and do its job.

I wish I had the answers but sadly I do not.

We have to live with enough internal fear in this life that often the fear away from us comes into play. I say be vigilant to that fear, but not ruled by it.

It’s no way to live.

Fear of Mortality

This week my mother turns the same age as her mother was when she passed away.

I have been cognizant of that number for many years and never gave it more than a passing thought. This year, it is different and it hit me like a ton of bricks last week. I was speaking with some people and a woman I know is that age. When I jokingly said she could be my own mother the thought of mortality invaded my mind. Nearly breaking down, I left the room calmly as I could manage without bursting into tears. I made it to a hallway close by and tried not to hyperventilate. Ever since that episode, I am afraid of running out of time; never saying the right things; not making up for any past unkindness. For never saying “I’m sorry” when I should have or “I love you” enough.

I spoke to her today on the phone. She is far away on a long planned, well deserved holiday. I miss her and want to hug and tell her these things.

It was just over nineteen years ago that we lost ________.

That is also the difference in age between me and my mom.

Remembrance of 09.11

My first inkling that anything might be wrong was an early morning phone call. You know the kind, they are never filled with good news and you hoped that you did not lose anyone close to death.

This was obviously different. Terrible. A nightmare.

I was living in the Bay Area with my now ex-girlfriend. We had a small one bedroom apartment that was big enough to be quaint yet small enough to be claustrophobic at times. The phone was in our bedroom. I don’t know if I answered or not, but the message was quick and adamant:

Turn on the television!

I staggered out of bed and down the hall- my feet numbed with coldness by the time I got to the living room. When I hit the power button I could see the devastation.

_____, I shouted! Get out here! You won’t believe what is happening!

When she got to the couch a few moments later I was numb with disbelief.

We did not move for the next hour or so- both of clinging to each other in desperation, sadness and slight fear. Neither of us wanted to go to work, but being the good worker bees we were, we did.

I begged her not to go. She worked near the financial district and already we had heard the Transamerica building was a possible target (crazy five years later to think about it, but shockingly realistic at the time). Time after time she told me it was ok and if I was going to work, she was going to work. My mother had begged us not to take the Bart or Muni.

Getting to work for me was always fun. I could walk to work in 30 minutes or take the bus. Sometimes, I walked and then caught the bus. That day I was at the hands of the oft maligned SF mass transit system. The trip reminded me of the times when I had some strict bus drivers when I was in grade school-- silent. Hardly anyone spoke the entire time. Also, the bus was only a third full on a route that was usually overflowing during the morning rush hour. The streets were empty as well. It was a spooky and surreal atmosphere. Even the transients were missing from the always entertaining/heartbreaking 16th and Mission intersection.

By the time I stepped off the 22-Fillmore, I was thinking of the things I should do as soon as I stepped into the building. I worked for the Bay Area’s PBS/NPR station. As you can imagine, it was a beehive of activity. In my department, my boss was one of the major point people (the biggest in my opinion) for station travel arrangements. Already, I was trying to think of who might be on a trip today and were they on the East coast for any reason. ______ was never in before me (but always stayed much later than I did), so it was up to me to look at our travel log and report it to the people who might need it most. ______ had beaten me to it if I can remember correctly(phoning in all the appropriate information). When I rushed around the building looking for the CEO and COO, they already knew it and even gave me information about travelers I was not aware of. Luckily for all of us there, we did not have anyone on those ill-fated flights.

Now I could slow down my actions. I did what I thought was the most important thing. Everyone else in the building that was not devoted to news coverage or keeping us on the air was rooted to a television somewhere; and at that point, I found myself looking at a large monitor that had been rolled out into the atrium.

I remember standing in front of the screen.

I watched a replay of one of the towers coming down.

My god.

I didn't know one of the towers had fallen. It must have happened on the way to work. I was deaf to all sound. I think tears were streaming down my face. ____ came over to me and put his hand on my shoulder and asked if I was all right. I replied that I didn’t know. He told me to sit down.

I was going into shock.

Again and again the tower fell and you could not take your eyes off of the screen.

I have no memory of the other tower coming down. I just know that it did.

(to be continued)

Rain

It rained yesterday.

Actually, it was the summer monsoon.

Where I live it does not rain much during the year. When it does, a majority of the time it is a few drops and then nothing. Most of the rain comes in the late summer and for a few weeks in the middle months of winter.

Last night, I sat on the back porch and watched the rain pour from the sky. I could see our small mountain in the distance and smell earth in the air. I could feel the rain mist upon my legs as the wind blew towards me. Water started to pool on the concrete and I swished my feet happily in the coolness.

I saw a television show a while back on water. If my memory serves me correctly, wetness is nothing but temperature & pressure. A man had specialized gloves placed on his hands. After a few tests to show him what water felt like with the gloves on, he was blindfolded. Other tests were run and he could not tell the difference between having the gloved hands in water versus the pressure/temperature portion of the experiment. I wish I could remember how everything was set up. It was amazing.

I thought of that show last night as I sat comfortably on the edge of the storm.

Most of my life, I’ve lived where the rain is a normality. Here, it is an anomaly.

Sometime soon, I will leave this arid desert and hopefully move to a place that is greener, wetter & ultimately more palatable to my liking.

I miss the rain.

Arrivals / Departures

Arrivals / Departures
Do you know of any better feeling than when you meet an old friend or loved one after a period of non-contact?

I picked up my step-father last night at _________ Airport. By mistake, I got there an hour earlier than I needed to be. I also arrived unprepared for that extra time as I usually bring a book or magazine to read- both of which I have plenty of. With 45 minutes to kill, I decided to participate in what my step-father says is one of his favorite things to do: people watch.

I had situated myself at the arrivals section of Terminal number Four- right between the domestic and international gates. Lots of people as you would imagine… coming from numerous departing points & time zones. I counted three saris, four languages and at least 115 black suitcases of various shapes and sizes. Why travelers buy black suitcases is beyond comprehension. They all look alike and are easily confused with someone else’s luggage. Next time you go to a luggage carousel, watch for the black luggage that the machine vomits out of its metal mouth. If you own a piece of this dark travel gear, count how many times other people pick it up only to throw it back like a 3rd prize trout- unworthy of the end of the day weigh in.

So as I sit there waiting for the minutes to drone by, I start to observe arriving passengers stream into my space a little at a time. The smiles that erupt on peoples faces are a sight to behold. Luggage is thrown around like the paperboy delivering the daily rag. Hugs, handshakes and kisses are doled out like its Christmas morning and you just got that new ________ you wanted. But it is the smiles that you are drawn back to.

Did you ever see the movie Batman? You know the one where Jack Nicholson plays the Joker. The smiles that people have at the arrivals gate are like his was in the movie- unmovable. For a second there, I had to stifle a laugh because I wondered if airline flight crews had started giving Botox injections during flights with durations over one hour.

I was happy. Going to the airport made me happy. It was like going to therapy except I did not have to talk and it only cost three bucks an hour for parking!

A simple fact dawned on me as I started to notice other people who were waiting: most of them already had that look of anticipation. It was a good look. As I tried to astral project myself out of my body, I could sense a feeling of electricity in the air. This might have been one of the happiest places I had ever been to.

There is of course, a downside to these little facts: Departures.

I saw a few of those as well. Three out of five of them were tear-filled. Hugs were clutch-like, notes & cards were passed and parting gifts given. I sat next to a set of grandparents and their granddaughter. The grandmother was happily chatting away with her departing relative while her husband kept to himself- shielding his thoughts they way men of that generation seem to be able to do. I did catch his eye for a moment, and I knew this was very painful… this departure of a granddaughter. I could feel in his eyes, that sadness of “What if I don’t live to see her again?” I understood it from the other end because I have left grandparents and not seem them again- except at a funeral.

But those faces! You just had to see those faces. My face.

Now as I wrap this up, I have to confess that I am sure this little bit of writing contains little original thought (and lots of marginal writing I might add). Travel writing is common enough now and this arrival / departure thing has had to have been written about somewhere (likely some smart ass New Yorker… Damn you for thinking of it before me!). But I have to tell you, if you are having a bad day… just need a boost… or think your life really sucks- pull three or four dollars out of your change can and spend thirty minutes at the arrivals / departures section of your local airport.

You won’t be sorry.

Sensory Overload of the Spirit

Taken from Wired 12.09 article titled: The Anime Giants Are Coming

"A few years ago," the director explains, "I had a shock when my cat Nene died. There was a hole in my heart, a hole that could not be filled, even though a new cat, Mina, came along. I started to wonder why. Why can't one cat replace another? And I started to think that the "I" is not just one person, but the sum of everything you love-- your dog, your wife, your child, your computer, your doll. This led me to the conclusion that the self is empty. What is essential is this network of connections."


I’ve had this passage saved for nearly two years. Every so often, I stumble upon it again and realize that there is some truth in what was written.

It speaks of the isolation that we’ve imposed upon ourselves. We’ve become afraid to be who we were as children and now fear as adults. In larger cities, it is even worse because everyone on the street wears the ever ubiquitous I-pod or worse, is on a cell phone-- hell, a co-worker of mine, sits next to me wearing headphones most of the day.

We walk down the sidewalk, hallway or street and fail to look people in the eye. We’ve become so isolated in our so called oneness with self that we’ve shut off contact with people around us. Sure, we interact at work or at the check out counter but that cannot count for much because there is not any kind of communication going on. Where I grew up as a child, it was rude if you did not waive at people in passing cars; whether you were in a car going the other direction, walking down the street or sitting on your front porch. Years later when I visit, it is still the same.

Are these actions we see every day part of the reason that the self is empty as the director from the article said?

I think he is going on a slightly different path that I am taking here, but what I have realized and am trying to explain is that all this technology we have has made us forget how to listen, how to focus, how to breathe even.

Sensory overload of the spirit might be applicable here.

So, I say turn off those mp-3 players. Ditch those cell phones for a day. Stopping checking your email for a while. Meet your neighbors-- I bet half of the people who might read this don’t know both people living on either side of their house. Better yet, go to the park and have a picnic. Listen to the world around you.

You will be glad you did.

The Monday Tirade

Why is it that men persist in sitting in office restroom stalls reading the paper? Do they think that they can make themselves at home on some recently warmed toilet seat and spend their leisure time while dropping it like its hot? I really don’t get it. It is one thing to spend 30 minutes at home doing it, but come on! Sometimes, I would like to post rules of office rest room etiquette in every stall, mirror & door. Here are a few that come to mind:

1) If you’ve got to go #2, get in and get out!
2) If you have to strain while going #2, eat more fiber because we are tired of hearing your grunts.
3) If you are going #2 and it smells like a used diaper filled with Indian food, how ‘bout a courtesy flush.
4) If you use the toilet or urinal, flush the d*mn thing--even if you have to use your foot!
5) Wash your hands!
6) For those dopes that don’t wash their hands, make sure you open the door with your recently used paper towels. Do you want to open the door handle with someone else’s creepy crawly germs on it?
7) No eye contact at the urinal!
8) No talking at the urinal! (If someone says “nice watch” while you are handling your business, you might have a problem- not that there is anything wrong with that!)

I’ve come to the conclusion that the only people who should use the restroom while I am working is… ME!

The rest of you boneheads should just go outside and take care of it like the filthy animals you are.

sometimes, you've got to say "what the f***!